Dale Jarrett fine with talking instead of driving

David Teel247-4636

Five races into the 2008 season, Dale Jarrett retired from competitive driving to become the lead NASCAR analyst for ESPN and ABC. Unlike many athletes (a certain Vikings quarterback comes to mind), he hasn't had a second thought since.

The 1999 series champion, Jarrett will be at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday night as ABC telecasts the Sprint Cup regular-season finale. The top 12 in the point standings then will qualify for the playoff Chase.

Jarrett won 32 races from 1991-2005, including two at RIR and three Daytona 500s. Wednesday morning he spoke to the Daily Press.

Question: Do you miss getting behind the wheel?

Answer: I really don't. I think I was at a point where I was ready to get out of the race car and do something different. There are certain tracks and certain things about certain tracks when you get there, you say, "Wow, I miss that." The qualifying lap at a place like Dover is so exciting and fun. Atlanta's the same way with that qualifying lap. Racing at Indianapolis and Daytona. Those are things I'll never do again. … There's nothing that will ever take the place of that competitive spirit, but I have a new challenge and have a long way to go to become pretty good at it.

Q: You're 52 now, right? So I guess when you see a guy like Mark Martin at age 50 in pretty good shape to make the Chase, you can't help but root for one of your peers.

A: I can't help but root. I'm supposed to be impartial in my broadcasting, and hopefully I come across like that. But I think everyone knows the admiration I have for Mark Martin. … There's not a more honest or better person, yet you know that you have a real battle on your hands trying to beat him week in and week out. …

If he can go on and win this championship at 50 years old, it would the sports story of 2009. … I get chills just sitting here right now talking about the possibility of that happening.

Q: Were you surprised when he chose to come back full-time, and are you surprised at how successful he's been?

A: I'm not surprised at how successful he's been. His talents as a race-car driver may have been overlooked through the years. Because he drove for Jack Roush, everyone expected he should do nothing but win and win championships. But Mark was there and doing a lot of good things, winning races, before Jack Roush's organization was at the level it is now.

Was I surprised he decided to come back full-time? A little bit, because of conversations I had with Mark. He was really happy in his role of part-time situation. … I don't know that he would have come back full-time with anyone other than Joe Gibbs or where's he's at with Rick Hendrick because he realizes those would have been his (best) opportunities.

Q: Where would a fourth consecutive title put Jimmie Johnson in the pantheon of NASCAR?

A: No one's ever done it, and maybe then he'll get some of the respect he's really due. I'm not sure he's getting that with the three championships that he has. It's just amazing what he's accomplished. Since Day One, since he came into the Cup side, he's been nothing but successful and yeah, you can say he's had great equipment at Hendrick Motorsports and they have great people there. But there have been other race drivers there with the same equipment during this same time that haven't accomplished nearly what Jimmie has. …

It's going to be a tough year. I'm pulling for Mark Martin to win his first championship, but I'd love to see Jimmie Johnson record some history here. It would be a tremendous feat and a great story for our sport.

Q: With the two titles with Gibbs, no one doubts Tony Stewart's chops, but how remarkable is it for a first-year operation like Stewart-Haas to not only have Stewart in the mix, but also to have revitalized Ryan Newman?

A: I basically told Tony, "It's a great opportunity, but you have to be ready to probably not win a race that first year and more than likely not make the Chase." (I'm) having no idea he'd be sitting atop the point standings and having won races. It's just an amazing accomplishment. It says a lot about Tony Stewart and it says a lot about the people around him.

Q: How do you see Saturday's race unfolding? You've got a guy sitting there in 12th ( Matt Kenseth) who's never missed a Chase. You've got Brian Vickers right behind and then Kyle Busch.

A: NASCAR has to be sitting back right now shaking their heads and kind of patting themselves on the back, saying, "This is exactly what we intended when we started this Chase idea." There is not any of those drivers from fifth back to 14th who can sleep very good this week. I'm telling you I've been in the situation. It's very unsettling and unnerving.

Q: The way they reseed for the Chase, Kyle Busch could go from 14th place and 654 points out of first place to first place after Saturday night. Does that strike you as a little strange?

A: It strikes me as a little strange, but it's no different than when the NFL gets to the end of their season and you have a team that sneaks in (the playoffs) with an 8-8 record or 9-7 record. They have a second life. They can put all those losses behind them. That's the same thing the Chase is designed to do.

Next Cup race Online

Next Cup race WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

WHERE: Richmond International Raceway.

TV: ABC 8 13 at 7 p.m.

COMING FRIDAY: Learn how RIR is the deciding factor for the Chase.

Online For more of David Teel's interview with Dale Jarrett, visit his blog at dailypress.com/teeltime.